About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
2026 Technical Division Student Poster Contest
|
| Presentation Title |
SPG-42: Improved Wettability of Covetic Copper on Tungsten Containing Alloys During Laser-Direct Energy Deposition |
| Author(s) |
Anna Ingram, Lourdes G. Salamanca-Riba, Nathan Young, Sudarsanam Suresh Babu |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Anna Ingram |
| Abstract Scope |
Tungsten alloys are considered for nuclear fusion components, including divertors and first walls, because of their high-temperature strength and neutron irradiation resistance. However, sustaining steady-state heat flux exceeding 10 MW/m<sup>2</sup> requires integrating high-thermal-conductivity copper cooling channels by brazing. To enable complex cooling geometries, this research explores laser direct-energy-deposition (DED) for forming dissimilar joints. Published studies indicated that the wettability of copper on W-rich materials is often poor. Our preliminary experiments demonstrate that by adding 3 wt.% carbon to copper (covetic copper) powders significantly improved the wettability on a commercial tungsten carbide [WC (90-94%) – Co (6-10%) – Fe (0-4%)] substrate during DED processing. The measured contact angles were 10 - 30°, compared to values exceeding 90° for pure copper alloys. Further investigation will be focused on broader range of tungsten alloys to understand the mechanisms governing wetting behavior and long-term thermal and microstructural stability of such joints for fusion-relevant environment. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Undecided |
| Keywords |
Additive Manufacturing, Nuclear Materials, Powder Materials |